Friday, April 01, 2016

Never Underestimate An Old Man With A Mustang

I saw the "Never Underestimate An Old Man With A Mustang" T-shirt on Facebook and the comments left were cool.

I want that shirt.
I felt at home at the posting as people showed their boss Mustangs off. Baby Boomers are acquiring them as they retire. On my block of maybe 40 houses there are five of them, including my torch red 2010 GT convertible, which is now the most famous ride in Poca, West Virginia. Mustangs regularly fetch six-figures at the car auctions on TV.

A kid at McDonald's in Nitro recently told me cool car. I said I couldn't afford one when I was 16 so I got one when I was 60. Actually my first car was one. (I was 23). And after 9/11 with the kids almost grown, I traded in a Geo Metro for one. Then traded it in for another. Then traded it in for this one, which I bought used in 2013.

Michael Dayton: At 57 years old, my 14 year old grandson says "old man, you need a new car" I tell him my car does just fine. He says "it doesn't have fuel injection, disc brakes, a MP3 player, or even A/C." I say that one day he will learn that you don't need all that fancy stuff to have a nice car. My 8 year old Granddaughter want's to ride in my car every time I see her. LOL, at least she gets it. when I die, the car is hers.

William L Miller: Yep, I got a kid caught for speeding because he was messing with me in my Fox Cobra. He had a newer Mustang. He kept messing with me so I messed back. Most times when I would get in front of him with some traffic I would slow down to keep him behind me, sometimes because we were also passing through an area I knew the local cops hung out. Finally when we got to another area I thought a cop might be I let him zip by. He looked like he did it pushing 100 mph, LOL. About 3 miles down the road I waved as I passed him because he did get pulled over. I continued on my trip, got off at a rest area, and continued some more. At the next town I caught up to him again at a red light. He didnt even glance at me, LOL. Moral of this story is dont mess with the Old Guy. He just might know more about the road than you do, LOL.

Jerry Brown: My third Mustang. A Racing Red Boss 302. 2013 model. Love it more than the 2009 Shelby GT500 I traded on it. It drives better.

Craig Spina: So true 53 with a 2005 ragtop mustang and wife with a 2016 black stang. Not to mention my son with a 2007 convertible with pony pkge. Still wish I had my 1966 hardtop.

Larry Crawford: Got to have this T-shirt to go with my 1987 Mustang GT Fox body. I learned the hard way about speeding. You just can't outrun all the Highway patrol officer's.

And on and on.

The Mustang may be the last American car with an American message. I get the Prius smug, but no matter where they make it, a Prius is a Japanese car and the message is sacrificing for the greater good -- communism. A Mustang is individualism and freedom. When the road calls, you certainly do not answer with a Prius, or an SUV or even a pickup.

There are better looking cars that are faster. The Road Runner with those high spoilers were revolutionary. I get that a Camaro handles better and a Charger or a Challenger will get the better car reviews. I look at them and nod my props to their owners. Great engineering. Great reputations. But a Mustang is an everyman's fantasy car, the girl a guy can take to the prom, not the one in Playboy. And no one drove a Mustang better than Steve McQueen.

Don, When I was 23 I had a 1966 Mustang. Stick six. Alas, mine was a POS. Had to rebuild the tranny and engine. Went through two clutches and three throw out bearings. On the upside, I learned how to work on cars since I couldn't afford to have others fix it being a starving college student. Now, I get my jollies with my 2001 BMW Z3.

I got my 2007 GT convertible after the kids all finished college. I was getting tired of the CVT in my Saturn Vue and needed a change. I had always wanted a Mustang and figured I was finally in a situation where I could get one. After 164K miles, I'm still on the original clutch and I still enjoy driving it.

My son-in-law claimed I was driving a gas guzzler. I looked up his PT Cruiser. He was probably only getting 1-2 MPG better than me. What a joke!

I'm thinking of getting a new one in a month or two after my bonus comes in. I've been looking at the ecoboost -- still 300HP like mine but 30+ MPG highway! Can't beat it.

That is too funny. My accountant loves mustangs too. I should send him a picture of this. I do not know if he would take the old man part that well. He might. I mean I do not think that people think he is young. You should just go ahead and get it. I am sure you will wear it.

About Me

I live in Poca, West Virginia, with my lovely wife of 40 years, Lou Ann. I am an Army veteran and Cleveland State graduate. I retired after 40 years as a newspaperman. In 2016, I published "Trump the Press," which drew rave reviews at Power Line and Instapundit.